Counter for coins and the like.



A. UPWESTFELT. UOUNTER FOR COINS AND THE LIKE.

Patente \Tov. 17, 1908* APPLICATION FILED JAN. 4, 1907.

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w 17 x h .7. 5 UM M an! d 1 witnessas A. U. WESTPE LT. COUNTER FOR COINS AND THE LIKE. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 4, 1907.

I 903,929. Patented Nov. 17-,l908. k

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I wjine-sus I lnv t nior yz MMWM UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

AXEL ULRIK WESTFELT, OF STOOKHOLM, SWEDEN.

COUNTER FOR COINS AND T HE LIKE.

Application filed January 4, 1907.

To'aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AXEL ULRIK WEST- FELT, a subject of the King, of Sweden, and

resident of- Stockholm, Sweden, have invented new and useful Improvements in Counters for Coins and the Like, of which the following is a specification, reference be ing had to the drawings accompanying and forming a part hereof.

This invention relates to counters for coins, and the like, which consist of a countingtable having coin-receiving passages separated from each other by longitudinal guides and divided transversely by shoulders or cross-pieces.

The object of the invention is to provide a coin counting apparatus that will be more accurate and reliable in its working than the counters of this kind hitherto known.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated, by way of example, a coin counting apparatus provided with a counting lattice arranged according to this invention.

Figure l is a vertical section of the apparatus. Fig. 2 shows the right-hand part of Fig. 1, the plunger being, shown in its upper-most position. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the apparatus. Fig. 4 shows the upper part of a plunger surmounted with an upwardly tapering end piece. Fig. 5 shows the upper part of a plunger having a flap pivotally attached thereto, said flap having its outer part bent to form a segment bearing on the inner side of the uppermost part of the plunger. Fig. 6 shows, on an enlarged scale, cross-sections of different forms of cross-pieces, and a side elevation of such a cross-piece. Figs. 7 and 8 show in elevation and plan view, respectively, also on an enlarged scale, the one end of a guide-lath. Fig. 9 is a section on line y y v of Fig. 7, or 8. Fig. 10 illustrates, on a still more enlarged scale, in what manner the coins move over the cross-pieces and over the coins lying in the filled squares, or the like.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 shows a coin counting lattice placed in an inclined position at the upper end of a receptacle 1 for the uncounted' coins (the coins are, for the sake of simplicity, not illustrated). The lattice is shown composed of a number of longitudinal la-ths 2 or the like (Figs. 1 and 3) and cross-pieces 3 or the like extending between the said laths. It is supported in a reciprocable frame 4 placed at the upper part of the receptacle 1', between two side- Speoification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 1'7, 1908.

Serial No. 350,730.

walls thereof, and carried by rollers 5 rolling on lugs 6 or the like projecting inwardly from the side-walls of the said receptacle. Journaled in the said walls of the receptacle 1 is a rotary shaft 7, and fastened to the said rotary shaft is an eccentric 8' surrounded by the ring 9 of a rod 10 pivotally attached to the frame 4. When the shaft 7 is rotated, the frame 4 with the lattice carried by the same is reciprocatedin than the thickness of thecoins and an elevated part rising to a greater height above the bottom of the lattice than the thickness of the coins might be used.

Placed beneath the lattice-work formed by the lathe 2 and cross-pieces 3 is a bottom 11 suitably adapted to be lowered and raised. In the embodiment illustrated, the said bottom is normally kept pressed, by springs 12 bearing at one end on the frame and at the other end on the said bottom, against the lower side of the lattice-work so that the coins moving down the lattice are caught in the-interstices and supported by the said bottom. Attached to the frame 4 are strings 13, or the like, said strings being led over guide-pulleys 14 journaled' in the frame 4 and attached, at their other ends, to arms 1'5, or the like, projecting from a shaft 16 journaled in the lower part of the said frame. Projecting from the said shaft 16 is an arm 17 connected by a string 18, or the like, led over a guide-pulley 19 to an arm 20 attached to a rocking shaft 21. Extending along the lower edge of the lattice is a slanting channel 22 (Figs. 1 and 3) having two branches, each sloping from the edge 22 at the middle of the lattice toward the one side and rounding the adjacent edge and ending in an opening 1 in the side wall of the receptacle 1. Attached to the shaft 21, outside the receptacle 1, is a crank-arm or lever 23 having a handle 24 at its outer end. Vhen the crank-arm takes up the position shown in Fig. 1, the bottom 11 is kept pressed by the springs 12 against the lower side of the lattice as shown in Fig. 1. If the crank-arm 23 is turned in the direction of the arrow, the shaft '21 with the arm 20 is caused to turn a corresponding angle. By this the string 18 is first stretched and then turns the arm 17 and, thereby, the shaft 16, by which such a pull is exerted on the strings 13 that the bottom 11 is lowered, against the action of the springs 12. The coins lying on the bottom 11, in the interstices of the lattice, are, thereby, allowed to glide down the said bottom and pass through an aperture 26 in the frame 4, whence they pass onto and glide over a forwardly inclined guiding surface 25*, from which they drop into a receptacle or the like (not shown) for the counted coins. During the counting of the coins the excess of coins will glide over a cross-piece 27 of the frame 4 and drop into the channel 22 leading to the interior of the receptacle 1. In both cases the downward movement of the coins is facilitated by the longitudinally reciprocating movement of the frame 4.

Located at the rear wall 28 of the receptacle 1 is a plunger 29 adapted to be moved up and down along the said wall. In the embodiment illustrated the plunger 29 is attached, suitably at its lower end, to strings 30, or the like, each placed around one of two pulleys 31 attached to the ends of a shaft 32 journaled in the side-walls of the receptacle 1 and, further, around one of two pulleys 33 journaled below the receptacle. Attached to the ends of the shaft 32 outside the pulleys 31 are gear-wheels 34, and catching in the said wheels are segments 35, each attached to one end of a shaft 36 extending through the receptacle 1 and ournaled in the side-walls thereof. Attached to one end of the said shaft 36, outside the receptacle, is an arm or lever 37 provided with a handle 38. By turning the lever 37 a small angle forth and back, the plunger 29 is raised and lowered. Fig. 1 shows the plunger in its lower and Fig. 2 shows the same in its upper position. The plunger 29, which extends across the whole coin-receptacle 1, from the one side-wall thereof to the other, is supported by a wall 89 extending downwardly from the lower edge of the slanting bottom 25, and may also be guided in slots I 40, or the like, in the two side walls of the receptacle. The upper end of the plunger 29 inclines to the rear wall 28 of the receptacle 1. When the plunger takes up the lower position shown in Fig. 1, a portion of the coins in the receptacle glides onto the upper surface of the plunger, said coins be ing then carried with the plunger. When the latter approaches the position shown in Fig. 2, the coins glide from the upper endsurface of the plunger onto an inclined bottom 41 situated behind the lattice. In order to prevent the coins supplied by the plunger from dropping into the receptacle, when the plunger descends, a flap 4:2, or the like, is arranged at the uppermost part of the receptacle between the lower end of the bottom 11 and the upper edge of the lattice, said flap being normally kept, by a spring, weight, or the like (not shown) in the closed position shown in Fig. 1, whereas, during the last part of the upward movement of the plunger, the flap is lifted, as shown in Fig. 2, and then closed again, when the plunger descends, and so on. During the downward movement of the plunger the coins carried onto the bottom 41 are caused to move over the closed flap 41-2 onto the lattice, in the interstices of which they are caught in the manner to be described.

Figs. 7 to 9 show a suitable form of the ends of the guide-laths in order to secure the entrance of the coins into the passages. The described coin counter is used and works in the following manner. The receptacle 1 is filled with coins to be counted, and the shaft 7 is rotated by any suitable means so as to impart to the frame f carrying the lattice a longitudinally reciprocating motion. By turning the arm 37 back and forth a number of coins are brought by the plunger 29 onto the slanting bottom 41 above the lattice. lVhen the plunger has descended, these coins enter the passages between the guide-laths of the lattice and move down the latter under the influence of gravity in co-action with the reciprocating motion imparted to the.

lattice, the cross-pieces 3 being so dimensioned and of such a form that the first coins abutting against the said cross-pieces are engaged by the same, whereas the following coin or coins are allowed to freely pass over the engaged cross-pieces, so that the counting table is automatically filled with a number of coins corresponding to the number of cross-pieces. The coins which are not caught in the interstices of the lattice are caused to move over the cross-piece 27 and drop into the channel 22 to be conducted back into the receptacle. lVhen the lattice has been filled with coins, the arm 23 is turned in the direction of the arrow (Fig. 1), by which the lattice is emptied as hereinbefore described.

In case the apparatus is desired to be used for counting another kind of coin, the lattice need only be replaced by another one of a suitable construction. In order to enable the required number of coins to be supplied, the size of the coin feeding surface of the plunger may be altered to suit the kind of coin to be counted, for instance by placing a suitable end-piece 13 at the top of the plunger, as shown in Fig. 1, or by turning a flap 44 or the like (Fig. 5) pivotally attached to the upper part of the plunger, so as to cause the uppermost part 45 of the plunger and the bent portion 46 of the flap to form together a feeding surface of a suitable size.

Fig. 10 shows the abutment edges 47 of the cross-piece 3 situated at a distance from the bottom plane 4 less than the thickness of the coins, whereas the uppermost part 48 of the cross-piece is situated at a distance from the bottom plane which is greater than the distance, from the said plane, of the upper surface 49 of a coin'50 lying in the interstice between two cross-pieces.

Obviously, the edges, or the like, serving to stop the coins from gliding down should, at the most, project so much above the bottom plane as the thickness of the thinnest coin of the kind to be counted, whereas the highest parts of the cross-pieces must lie at a distance from the bottom of the lattice greater than the thickness of a new-struck coin, the cross-piece having, further, such a form that a coin gliding over such a crosspiece is caused to drop down, with its foreedge, somewhat inside the edge of a coin lying in the adjacent interstice so that a coin moving down the lattice can freely glide over the coin or coins lying in the interstices and be caught in the first empty interstice.

The invention is not limited to the constructional forms shown and described but can be varied in several ways without de parting from the spirit and scope of my invention. It is also to be understood that the grate, or lattice, instead of being arranged as the counting part of a coin counting apparatus, might also be employed solely as a counting table for coins and the like.

Obviously, for the cross-pieces 3 pins or abutments of any suitable form might be substituted. The chief thing is that the stops or abutments are of such a form as to stop the coins, one after the other, while the coins not engaged are caused to mount a part of the abutment rising to a distance from the bottom plane greater than the thickness of the coins, the latter being, thereby, caused to glide over the caught coins.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A coin counting table comprising, in combination, a bottom, guides forming be tween them, together with the said bottom, a number of coin-receiving passages, and shoulders situated above the said bottom, between the said uides, said shoulders forming gliding surfaces for the coins each extending from an abutment edge situated at a distance from the bearing surface of the bottom less than the thickness of the thinnest coins to be countedtoward and past a part situated at a distance from the said bearing surface greater than the thickness of the thickest coins to be counted, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A coin counting apparatus comprising, in combination, a frame, a coin counting table placed in an inclined position in the said frame and consisting of a bottom, guides forming between them, together with the said bottom, a number of coin-receiving pas sages, and shoulders situated above the said bottom, between the said guides, said shoulders forming gliding surfaces for the coins each extending from an abutment edge situated at a distance from the bearing surface of the bottom less than the thickness of the thinnest coins to be counted toward and past a part situated at a distance from the said bearing surface greater than the thickness of the thickest coins to be counted, and means for reciprocating the said counting table, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. A coin counting apparatus comprising, in combination, a coin receptacle, an inclined counting table having guide-ways for the coins, andstops placed in the said guideways, said stops having such a form as to engage the first coin abutting against them but allow the following coins to pass, means for feeding coins from the coin receptacle onto the counting table, means for reciprocating the counting table, and means for carrying the coins not engaged by the stops back to the coin receptacle, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4:. A coin counting apparatus comprising,

in combination, a coin receptacle, an inclined counting table consisting of a lattice-work and a bottom adapted to be lowered with relation to the former, said lattice-work con sisting of guide-laths for the coins, and cross-pieces extending between the guidelaths and having such a form as to stop the first coin abutting against the same but allow the following coins to pass, means for normally keeping the bottom placed in position against the lower side of the latticework, means for feeding coins from the coin receptacle onto the counting table, means for carrying the coins not engaged by the stops back to the coin receptacle, and means for emptying the counting table by lowering the bottom with relation to the lattice-work, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

AXEL ULRIK VVESTFELT. Witnesses:

AUG. SoeENsEN, KARL RUNEsKoG. 

